Beyond the Pill: A Revolutionary Program for Hormone Balance, Reversing the Side Effects of Contraception, and Reclaiming Your Health

I got Dr. Brighten's book two weeks ago, and I haven't finished yet, but so far I love it so much, I thought I'd leave a review anyway, and hopefully help other women make the decision to buy it. I've been taking the pill for almost 4 years, and about 2 years ago I developed IBS (the mixed type). I'd never had digestive issues before and for years I blamed it on my international move and the stress associated with it (even though I'd moved internationally before and it never happened). My IBS kept getting worse and worse, even though I tried to eat healthy, so one day it occurred to me, what if this is caused by the pill? I did some research and someone recommended Dr. Brighten's book. As soon as I read the description here on Amazon I was hooked. I bought the book that same day! I've been following her tips and recipes for 10 days and I already feel so much better!! I've incorporated a lot of new healthy ingredients to my diet (some of which I'd never heard about before!), and they've had such an obvious effect on me. My IBS is so much better already! I have no pain, and I have lost 6 pounds in 10 days (another side effect of the pill is overweight). I'm getting off the pill today, and I have no idea what the transition is going to be like. I'm honestly quite nervous about the possibility of getting post-birth control syndrome. But with Dr. Brighten's book I feel supported and in good hands. This book is a must-read for every woman who is, has been or is considering to get on the pill. It is PACKED with scientific information about what hormonal contraception does to our bodies. Dr. Brighten is a biochemist, so she knows her stuff. In her book, she talks about all those things that we women notice in our bodies but other doctors tell us we're crazy or "it's all in our head". Dr. Brighten tells you exactly how your body works and why you are not crazy: the pill does indeed affect our bodies and mood negatively. This book is not against the pill. Its goal is informing women of what we're facing when we decide taking it, so we can make informed decisions. This is information you won't find anywhere else, because mainstream doctors don't know it, have no idea, and keep prescribing the pill for issues that have a much easier and natural solution (hint: diet, lifestyle, supplements). It's a crime that we women are not informed about better, less-dangerous alternatives to hormonal birth control. Dr. Brighten's book is essential for anyone who wants to know how their bodies work and what to do to detox from the pill, including how to stop suffering post birth control syndrome and other women health issues. The book is packed with information, tips and recipes. So far, it's been only 10 days and I can already feel the difference. I follow Dr. Brighten on IG and FB, and everything she shares is great, so I encourage you to buy this book AND to follow her on social media too. - - - - - - - - I'll update this review if I change my opinion (not likely) or I have something else to add.

What started as a frustrating conversation with my pharmacist and their inability to refill a prescription, turned into me ditching birth control, and reading up on research so I could ditch it "the right way", if the right way even existed. Through my reading, I found lots of recommendations for this book. The author was on BC herself for a very long time and faced many different hormonal symptoms during and after taking BC. The book essentially walks you through your menstrual cycle, what your hormones are doing at various stages, what the various symptoms of hormonal imbalances are, and how to heal these imbalances (and their associated symptoms) naturally through diet, exercise, mindfulness, and supplement use. Dr. Brighten is very empowering for all women and provides a lot of information such as certain blood work panels to request from your doctor if they are making you feel like all of your whacko symptoms are somehow "normal" or "just part of being a woman". This book is one big "stfu and listen to me moment" and I think many women can relate to some if not most of the experiences and symptoms described. I have read some critiques about the book because, in the supplement section, the author does promote her own brand of supplements. I think this is a cheap complaint because before she does this, she provides a ton of information on various supplements and what they will do to support your body as you come off from birth control and you are in NO WAY forced to buy her supplements. I completed her 30-day program and I did not buy a single product of hers. That being said, it took more time on my part to find comparable products, within my price range, that filled all the nutritional gaps I was looking for. If you're the type of person who needs things made as easy as possible and you don't want to spend hours of your day reading research and product hunting then it's incredibly helpful that you can simply buy her products and have everything you need. And hers are no more expensive than any of the products at a grocery store. ALSO, this author has an impressive education, she has spent decades of her life focusing her research on women's health, she healed her own hormonal imbalances and many of her clients in her own practice, now she's gone on to write a comprehensive guide on how to do the same for women at home AND shes managed to formulate her own brand of supplements that fit into her practice and provide her clients with EXACTLY what they need to heal their body.... why would she NOT promote her OWN products in HER book that SHE wrote?? Lol the audacity of people to criticize that need to sit down. I have loved the information in this book. I found it very informative and empowering. It comforted me during a time of huge change in my life and my health. I feel like it prepared me for what to expect out of my body and reassured me that many other women are going through the same things as me. The 30-day protocol seems restrictive but it was SO much easier than I could have ever expected and I saw immediate results. Within the month, I had my first natural period off the pill, no pain, no weird PMS symptoms, my skin has cleared, my digestion has regulated, and I am sleeping better. I have zero regrets and am so grateful to have found this resource. Thank you Dr. Brighten.

This book is the most REAL, truth-filled, educational, empowering, and encouraging experience I’ve ever had regarding women’s health and hormones! The truth bombs she shares in these pages are earth shattering if you are like me, and most people, who have never been provided the raw knowledge that we so badly need in order to own our bodies and our health, and THRIVE in our lives! From the basics we should have learned in middle school to the complicated intricacies we need to know about female hormones, this book covers it all and empowers women to believe what their bodies are communicating to them and understand how to live without allowing hormones to control us. Dr. Brighten fills every page of this book with helpful and critical information, enlightening women on what is happening inside their bodies. One of the most brilliant analogies she used in the book really stuck with me, as it is the perfect way to explain the hormonal system to ALL humans: “Your hormonal system (also known as the endocrine system) is like a symphony, which under optimal conditions—when every instrument is in tune and hitting the right notes—is playing the most beautiful music you have ever heard. But if just one instrument is out of tune, it can ruin the entire piece, making you cringe. The other musicians may begin to change how they’re playing in order to compensate for that one out-of-tune instrument, and the music quality begins to diminish further. In this same way, if one hormone is out of balance, if affects the whole system” (Brighten, p. 29-31). As a female living with endometriosis, this book changed my life in the most beneficial ways. But way beyond that, Dr. Brighten’s book educated me on women’s health in ways I never even knew I was lacking in knowledge! There is SO much our doctors, and specifically our OBGYN’s, don’t tell us. It’s horrible to realize how much truth is kept from us! Reclaim your life and your body by reading this book and SHARE the knowledge with others!

This book has provided me with insight and information that has completely changed my understanding of women's health. I have struggled with period problems from a very young age, and I was put on birth control at the age of 13 to "resolve" these issues. I spent years going from specialist to specialist, spending hours in the ER, and enduring multiple surgeries, all to be told that there is no reason for my symptoms. I constantly felt as if my complaints were being dismissed and as though no one believed I was truly experiencing horrible (and at times completely debilitating) pain. For example, when I complained to a doctor of severe pain during exercise, I was simply told, "then don't exercise." In reading this book, I felt as though Dr. Brighten was describing my own personal life and experiences. She confirmed for me that there are other women experiencing the same things and being dismissed in the same way. It is SO important for women to educate themselves on what we are putting into our bodies and how this affects us both short and long term. She also provides a wealth of information on how to transition off the birth control pill or how to improve hormonal imbalance symptoms for women who want to stay on it. This book is incredibly encouraging and comforting. To know that I am not alone and that I have not been imagining my pain all these years gives me so much hope. I highly recommend this book to any women who has ever felt dismissed or unheard when it comes to her health. Dr. Brighten will make you feel heard, understood, and powerful!

I have been researching hormones and trying to ditch "the pill" since I turned 40. The thing that keeps me from doing so is the fear of my excruciating and debilitating periods returning. But I also know I should naturally be going through hormonal changes as I age, and the pill effectively destroys that. And then I stumbled upon this book. It is a pretty easy read. She doesn't talk over your head too much with all of the medical terms. In fact, I find her use of common vernacular a little off putting sometimes as it makes it hard to take someone seriously as a professional when they use "WTF," etc, in their writing. But, I can appreciate that she is trying to make it relatable and less intimidating than the subject of Women's Health usually is. There is a great deal of information packed in the book between pitches for her supplements and 30-day plan. If you can get past the tire kicking, there are a lot of good talking points to start informed conversations with your doctors. Multiple quizzes help you start to form a picture of what is going on with your hormones both on and off the pill, and she gives plenty of information about various tests and timing of those tests to help you and your doctor get a clearer picture of your hormonal cycle. So, while I'm not interested in buying her supplements, and will doubtfully jump on her Brighten 30-day bandwagon, I do feel like I am armed with some very valuable information that I did not have before. And I feel confident enough to stop taking my pill knowing what to look for now as my body readjusts and knowing what / how to track any changes so I can get to the root of any trouble with my doctor. It has definitely been enlightening as far as all the changes and impacts the pill has on your body that I have never had a doctor mention to me prior to prescribing them to ease my PMDD symptoms. While the snake oil aspect gets a little annoying, I would recommend anyone taking or thinking about starting the pill (whether for contraception, or especially for non-contraceptive reasons) read this book as part of making an informed decision about your health. If you do not advocate for yourself with your doctors, no one else will.

I was introduced to Dr. Brighten via instagram and was following her for some time prior to purchasing her book. This gave me context to her book prior to reading it and therefore I did feel trust towards Dr. Brighten prior to reading the book. That's why I wasn't bothered by the mention of her line of supplements in the book. She had earned my trust via the valuable free information she provides her audience on IG, her website, e-newsletter, and the very well-done Post-Birth Control Syndrome summit she organized in 2018. She had TOP experts in their respective fields discussing everything from fertility to skin care to microbiome. Now, to my review of the book. As a woman who has been on the pill for over 13 years and is considering getting pregnant soon, Dr. Jolene's book was an empowering tool that made me feel confident and sure that I can heal my body, nervous system, and endocrine system myself. When Dr. Brighten suggests supplements it is to be used as just that, supplements. Meaning, to supplement the primary methods she suggests of good nutrition, sleep, exercise, and meditation. And she also suggests to do so for a short period of time while you're initially detoxing from the pill. For the record, I didn't purchase or use any of the supplements and still found her knowledge invaluable. I started being mindful of the quality of meat I was eating, I was choosing a variety of vegetables and fruits that she was suggesting, and I was introducing new foods like Kelp that were not part of my regular diet. I also learned about seed cycling for the first time and feel like wonder woman knowing that I can reduce my PMS naturally. I learned to be patient with my body as it adjusts being off the pill and I learned what my many symptoms and sensations were trying to tell me: perhaps I'm low on progesterone right before my period, or maybe I'm estrogen dominant right now. I would reference Dr. Jolene's book to see what she had to say about that. I learned to be more connected to my body and to perceive the fluctuations as a way my body was communicating with me rather than dreading the changes. I'm grateful for Dr. Brighten's passion and effort in wanting to educate women about the pill and their health. She is certainly not anti-pill; if you follow her on IG she specifically states that she isn't but that as women, we have the right to all information even if western research hasn't done the necessary work yet. Thank you Dr. Brighten, PLEASE keep going. Blessings and love.

Whether you are on birth control, getting off birth control, considering birth control or have ever taken birth control: I 100% recommend you getting this book and reading (and give a copy to your daughter)! I seriously learned so much and I wish I would of read this years ago! This is all the answers I have been worried and curious about over the years of taking birth control that my doctor never gave me answers to! She talks all about hormones and birth control and how they effect everything in your body (gut health, brain, thyroid, liver, etc). She explains all the symptoms people experience, what they mean, and how to fix them! She isn’t “pro” using birth control, but she explains the cold hard facts. And what I like is she doesn’t represent anyone who still wants to use birth control after learning about it, and she explains how to support your body while on it. Knowledge is power! She explains how to support your body ON birth control, OFF birth control and coming off birth control! She does have her own supplement lines but she doesn’t push them at all in my opinion! If anything she pushes utilizing different foods in your diet to help supplement what you are deficient in. And every time she recommends a supplement she never makes it seem like you HAVE to get her supplement brand. She mentions her line of supplements of course, but she never makes it seem like that’s the only option. She goes over how much to take and how to pick out good quality supplements if you don’t go with her brand. I 100% recommend this book and so many other girls that I have recommended it to are so happy they are reading it!

This book is one of the most important women's health books I have ever read. Finally someone has explained in plain English what is happening in our bodies and what we can do to improve its function. Really I am not exaggerating all women must read this book. It is mind-blowing to me that with all the medical advancement in the world, most doctors are in the dark regarding this 5th vital sign. Forty years ago my mother had irregular menstrual cycles that were completely ignored by doctors until she could not get pregnant and she needed fertility treatments to conceive. She later figured out that she had PCOS. I had that knowledge from the time I was 13 and had irregular cycles for the next 16 years suffering from acne and other symptoms that were treated as separate problems. Even with the diagnosis, the doctors had no help for me besides the pill. I did take the pill for a few years but after the pill, my cycles remained sporatic (3 times a year). One doctor suggested Metformin (a diabetes medication) but it was very hard on the digestive tract and I never had any success with a regular cycle. I had to figure out for myself that I was not ovulating and eventually I had to use fertility treatments to conceive. No one ever explained to me or even suggested that my standard American diet was causing many of my problems. One of my biggest worries as a mother is that my daughter will continue the family pattern. We have completely changed our diets (my son has an autoimmune condition) so I am hopeful that she will have a different path but now with this book I feel I have unlocked the treasure chest. I am no longer guessing or trying to figure it out on my own. Even after having two children my cycles have continued to be 35 days. Supporting my liver and my colon in their detoxification of excess hormones has shorted my cycle to 29 days which saves me from an extra week of hormone imbalance (that comes with extra PMS and acne). This book shows you that you can take control of your own hormone (and whole body) health. I will be recommending this book to every woman I meet.

Tiene perspectivas que nunca Pensé que fueran a tener tanto impacto en mi salud. Gracias por poner a nuestra disposición esta información que debería ser básica para cualquier persona con utero. Además de que al final hay unas recetas FABULOSAS!

Rapidez. Estudo e auto cura

J'ai adoré car tellement d'infos pour aider les femmes

Dieses Buch kann ich jeder Frau und jedem Mädchen ab ca 15 Jahren nur wärmstens empfehlen. Wir sollten doch alle wissen, wie die Pille in unserem Körper wirkt. Dies und noch viel mehr Wissen zum Thema Zusammenspiel der Hormone. Das Buch sollte Pflichtlektüre für alle Frauenärzte sein!

amazing book! She explains everything that is going on with your body; your period and she also tells you what to do. it's like a session with your doctor but so much more! She tells you what blood tests to get done and has recipes at the back to get on the diet to get back your hormones.